The stock conti's that came on my '12 were really loud. I replaced them with Michelin Premier A/S's a few thousand miles ago and noticed a pretty good reduction in cabin noise and it also handles much better. I don't really remember it getting louder as time went on though.

 

That's what was thinking might help some is a better set of tires.. thanks

No, its had road noise from the get go. I haven't added any insulation.

If a new set of tires don't help the cabin noise, then sound deadener is my next step.. thanks

 

No, its had road noise from the get go. I haven't added any insulation.

 

When did you last rotate your tires? Increasing cabin noise from baseline is likely caused by cupping of your rear tires. It starts as a hum and increases to a roar as cupping gets worse. Rotating already cupped rear tires to the front will increase the cabin noise noticeably. If cupping is the source of your problem, replacing the rear tires is the only solution.

Stock Contis are not loud tires but they do "sing" at highway speeds. (high pitched whine)

 

I rotate tires every 5000 miles.. currently at 34000 miles in just under a year..

 

It is a very loud engine. Sound deadening will help but, at around 75 it just drones. I could not tell until I had someone in the car trying to talk for three hours. None of my other cars four cylinders are this loud.

 

I doubt it's really engine.. I can distinctly tell the engine and exhaust sound compared to the cabin noise. Which is probably the tires or suspension components..

 

Mine is quiet. Not Lincoln Town Car quiet but you can hold a conversation at normal voice levels.

It's a bit louder on concrete when compared to asphalt though. Same measured decibels but a higher pitched whine. It's not the motor. It's the road surface. Could be our tires but even my Navigator is louder on concrete, and they didn't skimp on the sound deadening material.

 

The way I see it, the cabin noise is due to the interior plastic parts and when the plastic parts become loose, the noises become louder

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The way I see it, the cabin noise is due to the interior plastic parts and when the plastic parts become loose, the noises become louder

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Thats vibration^^^^^^^^^

 

Cabin noise is usually when the outside can be heard inside. Not just interior bits banging together, although that can be a contributor.

 

I see, well thanks for correction

No.. look it up.. [bash]

To you sir, thanks but no thanks

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Road noise is definitely a problem at highway speeds. Most of my driving is at highway speeds so noise is very important to me.

I'm at 27k miles on my stock Contis, and while it's going to be an expensive replacement, I'm looking forward to swapping out my tires for the Pirelli P7 set. Supposedly, they're the quietest set (and top rated).

 

The Focus does seem rather loud to me. I had a BMW before the Focus, and it was much quieter, I could hold a conversation at 80, just like I could in my living room. The Focus, I need to raise my voice to hold the same conversation. I see sound deadening in my future, after having a very quiet car, you realize how nice it is.

 

To be fair, you can't compare a BMW to a Focus. BMW is going to win hands down unless it's super old.

I talked to a couple people on here that applied sound dampening material to their Foci and the general consensus is that unless you can apply it to the ceiling and floor of the car, it's probably not worth the trouble. Doing just the door panels is probably not enough.

Surprisingly, before I purchased my Focus and test drove a bunch of cars, the Kia Forte was the quietest I came across in our class. Civic was a close second.

 

Yeah that's a strange comparison and move to make; German luxury to American economy...

 

I hear that. What year was your Bimmer?

 

^^^
03' 330XI
I loved the car, It was quick, comfortable and one the nicest cars to drive I have owned. It ended up blowing something in the head, and I didn't want to spend a few grand to fix it. So it was time to move on.

 

when i first got my car I didn't notice road noise or wind noise being excessive , but it's gradually been getting louder and louder, to the point where trying to listen to the radio without blasting it is useless so I've started driving with no music. The sound of the road and every bump being transferred to the cabin is mind-numbing and I've tried much more than I should have to in order to fix it.

I've added sound deadening mats like dynamat over absolutely everything but the ceiling and added Ensolite foam over all the doors and trunk and wheel wells. I changed to Pirelli P7 Grand Touring tires which were, as you said, among the top rated and quietest, but they're not cheap.

About $800 later, the deadening and tires did make a noticeable impact, but nowhere near what I'd call acceptable. I went on a drive with one of the ford mechanics today and he said he didn't think it was excessive. It didn't help that it was especially windy today.

I've been looking into anything and everything I can to quiet this car down and the best info I've come across is that it's just a cheap car. I really don't understand why any manufacturer would make a car that's this loud at highway speeds and not see it as a problem. Plenty of people say their Focus is the quietest car they've been in but I can't imagine how. I used to drive a BMW M3 with a loud exhaust and it was much quieter than this car on the highway.

Long story short, I have the same issue on my 2014 Focus SE with the Sport Appearance Package and I'd hate to see you waste your time and money like I did. I'm on the quest of selling the car and getting a slightly sporty German car. Fuel efficiency be damned, I need peace.

Edit: I've been thinking it might be a wheel or axle bearing and am dropping the car off at the dealer tomorrow morning to check it out, hopefully replace something. For whatever reason, Focuses of all generations seem to wear wheel bearings a lot without normal bearing failure signs. I'll update if anything happens.

Edit 2: The dealer found nothing wrong with the mechanics of the car but did note that there was a lot of wind noise, so I'm not completely crazy.

 

when i first got my car I didn't notice road noise or wind noise being excessive , but it's gradually been getting louder and louder, to the point where trying to listen to the radio without blasting it is useless so I've started driving with no music. The sound of the road and every bump being transferred to the cabin is mind-numbing and I've tried much more than I should have to in order to fix it.

I've added sound deadening mats like dynamat over absolutely everything but the ceiling and added Ensolite foam over all the doors and trunk and wheel wells. I changed to Pirelli P7 Grand Touring tires which were, as you said, among the top rated and quietest, but they're not cheap.

About $800 later, the deadening and tires did make a noticeable impact, but nowhere near what I'd call acceptable. I went on a drive with one of the ford mechanics today and he said he didn't think it was excessive. It didn't help that it was especially windy today.

I've been looking into anything and everything I can to quiet this car down and the best info I've come across is that it's just a cheap car. I really don't understand why any manufacturer would make a car that's this loud at highway speeds and not see it as a problem. Plenty of people say their Focus is the quietest car they've been in but I can't imagine how. I used to drive a BMW M3 with a loud exhaust and it was much quieter than this car on the highway.

Long story short, I have the same issue on my 2014 Focus SE with the Sport Appearance Package and I'd hate to see you waste your time and money like I did. I'm on the quest of selling the car and getting a slightly sporty German car. Fuel efficiency be damned, I need peace.

Price a brand new Focus and then price a brand new M3.

The Focus IS a cheap car. It's not THE cheapest but it's nowhere near German luxury/sport luxury.

If your BMW was older, compare it to a Focus of the same year.

 

Thanks for all the replies guys... I definitely won't be selling this car just b/c of cabin noise. I will try my best (with whatever spare change I have) to reduce the noise. My wife has already said, we may as well keep this thing till it dies.. 40k miles a year doesn't help resale value down the road..

 

Yeah it'll be worth like 5 grand in just a few years. Haha

 

Check your wheel bearings. Wheel bearings don't always show wear with looseness. Also with tires as they get worn they usually get louder. So it isn't a good comparison. My Continentals are pretty quiet.

 

Ok.. so I said earlier I had continental tires.. I was wrong.. I assumed I had original equipment since I bought the car new, but turns out I had Cooper zeon rx3-a tires.. I don't kno if any of you have had them before or not but that what I had.. I'm getting a new set of pirelli p7 next tuesday since current tires are bald in the center. We will see if that helps.

 

Those Coopers used to be OE. I had those before I bought the Continentals.

 

I dont see how your MK3 is so noisy at freeway speeds? Mine is possibly the quietest car Ive ever owned. Maybe I have to compare it with other cars but I have always been happy with the car's quiet cabin

 

Yeah it would have to be either a mechanical problem or a matter of perspective.

It's not a noisy car but it might be noisy compared to what you're used to. A Bentley owner would consider the Focus a rattle trap.

 

Definitely don't have any kind of drone on mine.

Maybe you have a flat spotted tire or something.

 

Here's the video.. turn ur volume up to hear..


https://youtu.be/Al2aaAE7R6I

 

Holy crap. There`s no need to turn up the volume. That noise is so not normal. [???] And sorry, I can`t say (quess) what it could be based on that video.

 

See what the new tires sound like.

video sounds like tire noise.

 

This^^^^^^^Only new tires will tell.

 

Yeah that isn't normal noise. It's either tires or wheel bearings, my bet. I just replaced a rear wheel bearing in my car that was making a similar droning noise, but it was a bit more rhythmic which made it easy to pinpoint.

 

Doesn't sound like normal tire noise to me. Could be a wheel or axle bearing.

 

Wow, dude that is not normal at all. Like the others said, tires or bearing. Tires you will have to buy, but bearing, you can still get through warranty. Any tire/brake shop can check both the tires and bearings for you

 

Yup definitely something mechanical.

 

I hope if it is something mechanical, it's just the bearings..